[tor-talk] Tor, Facebook and Google+ - my point of view

[Andrea St <andst7@xxxxxxxxx>]

I've thoroughly read the blog post about the position of Tor regarding the
Online presence within Facebook and G+ and I'd like to use these short
lines to express my point of view.

Let me state in advance that I'm not particularly fond of neither FB nor G+
policies, but that does not prevent me to strongly think that Tor should be
present whithin both these SN.

First of all telling Twitter is a better place to stay and others should be
avoided is not a suitable answer: Twitter has been known to censor
HashTags, to sell the entire feed, just for example.

On the second point I strongly believe in Tor's educational mission:
avoiding a widespread used medium insetad of using it in the best possible
way is IMHO very wrong.

On the third point it should be taken into consideration that an unofficial
BF Fan page is already present with 5000+ fans: the newborn one is in less
than a week 300+ fans strong and there are numerous other unofficial
smaller ones. In these pages users ask for help, write comments and
feedbacks.
The same is true for G+, where 100+ people has added Tor page in their
circles.

These numbers alone should demonstrate without further doubt that there is
a more than sizable part of the users who strongly prefer to interact with
the Tor Project using these SM channels instead of IRC.

Even if some people strongly object to the use of these channel, I strongly
believe that democracy itself is based on allowing users the same chance to
express themselves in their preferred form, giving all the same chance to
obtain what seem to be just and fair.

It is not time to understand if Tor Project is ready or not to embrace
these prerogatives and to open up to Social: if no-one cares likes and
following a page is not mandatory, but for those who are eager to follow
the chance to talk to the Tor Project will be there, even in "the enemy
territory".


You can even look at this as opening a representative place, a safe
harbour, a little outpost directly within the enemy's line, giving chance
to talk to users about our views of the SN and what we think is evil within
their policies.


It's time to take a strong and sure direction, without dubts.

That, of course, will add-up to other more worldly problems of not being
present: some people will surely think Tor is anachronistic, not fit for
the new generations, and someone other could open up a fake "official" page
with could lead to scams, wrong downloads etc...

This is only my very humble opinion, open for discussion and, why not, for
disagreement with me.

Best,
Andrea
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